ONONDAGA COUNTY – In 11 games this winter, no one was able to keep up with the Cicero-North Syracuse girls basketball team.
And that included Liverpool, who was the last opponent the Northstars had to face on Saturday afternoon and witnessed C-NS set a season mark for points as it got an 86-49 victory over the Warriors.
Though at times this season the Northstars could have early struggles, that was not the case here.
Flourishing on both ends, C-NS did not let up on Liverpool until it had gained a 24-6 edge at the end of the first quarter and had stretched that margin to 48-22 by halftime.
As if that wasn’t enough, a closing 20-10 push brought a fitting conclusion, especially for seniors Jessica Cook and Julia Rowe, so long a part of the Northstars’ slow return to the top.
Beore heading off to the University of Toledo, Cook tacked on 31 points, one of the best totals of her varsity career.
Rowe’s 11 points included a pair of 3-pointers as Alexa Kulakowski stepped up to get 19 points and Sydney Nesci finished with eight points.
For Liverpool, who closed with a 6-7 mark, Neveah Wingate again led the way, earning 17 points. Karlyssa Shifflett gained 12 points, while Victoria Morgan had eight points and Sophie Saeger gained six points.
All this was preceded by the clinical performance C-NS put together last Tuesday against visiting West Genesee, dominating every phase of the game on the way to ripping the Wildcats 74-38.
Five days earlier, the Northstars had beaten WG 75-57 but had seen Wildcats star Catie Cunningham put up 31 points. Here, Cunningham was held to 11 points by a relentless C-NS defense that had learned to contain her.
As that went on, Cook was picking up 26 points, while Alita Carey-Santangelo earned 15 points and Kulakowski gained 13 points. Kathleen Taru contributed eight points as C-NS built a 30-14 advantage by halftime and didn’t let up until the final horn.
The week had also started quite well for Liverpool, who shook off a quiet start in last Monday’s game against Fayetteville-Manlius and roared past the Hornets 57-34.
Trailing 12-10 after one quarter, the Warriors spent the rest of the game silencing a Hornets attack centered around Lexie Roe, who managed 23 points, but got just four combined field goals from her teammates.
Wingate nearly matched Roe, producing 20 points, but had far more help. Morgan had 10 points, with Shifflett earning eight points and Saeger adding seven points.
Liverpool then took on Nottingham Wednesday night, and were on even terms most of the night despite taking a 63-53 loss to the Bulldogs, who gave head coach Randy Wright his 100th career win.
Ultimately, the first quarter proved decisive, Nottingham going up 17-10 and forcing the Warriors into chase mode, then resisting all the rallies led again by Amaya Williams, who amassed 28 points.
Wingate led Liverpool with 17 points. Saeger got 10 points and Shifflett had eight points as, helping Williams, Tayahja Scott got 10 points and 11 assists, with Nazjae Howard getting 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Quickly, Liverpool got back to the .500 mark Thursday by handling Henninger 74-30, the Warriors steadily building a 59-20 lead on the Black Knights through three quarters.
Continuing her season-long production, Wingate set the pace with 20 points. Saeger, with 12 points, and Shifflett, with 11 points, also got into double figures, with Jakeira Stackhouse stepping up to earn eight points.
With Cook graduating, Wingate, who is only a sophomore, figures again to be a key player as Liverpool, in 2021-22, sets out to chase C-NS and all the others atop the area Class AA ranks.
